On the tigers’ trail
Adventure

We drove from Calcutta to Basanti, going through the interiors of rural Bengal. Thatched houses lined with palm wick could be seen everywhere. In the backdrop, essentially, are the ubiquitous palm trees swaying, opines Cookie Maini

WHEN metropolis life is ready to choke one’s soul with the captivity of incessant cellular rings, eyes become sore with exposure to blaring neon lights, patience is at its wits’ end in serpentine traffic queues, pollution stares you in the face it is time to restore sanity with a holiday break and essentially a get away. Holidays, too, have become victims of the consumerist epidemic. They have been hyped up by tourist companies and have come to spell glitzy venues, catering to the thrills of consumerist palates — satellite television, posh five star hotels, seven-course meals etc. For a holiday of a different sort, a communion with nature (in its unspoilt form) — an exposure to the habitat of the tiger, a cruise to the Sunderbans — is ideal. Undoubtedly, not the most comfortable of jaunts, but it awakens the faculties to the wanders of nature, benumbed by the din of the metropolis.

To venture out to the Sunderbans, one gets to Calcutta either by rail or air. A day or two in Calcutta of course, would be a hackneyed vacation and needs no introduction, the prominent landmarks to be seen for a first time to the city are the Victoria Memorial, the Science City Museum and the Marble Palace. However, this would be part of a very stereotyped metropolis jaunt. The essential getaway would be the Sunderbans. Sunderbans is the largest prograding delta of the world. It was proclaimed as a ‘Biosphere Reserve’ in 1989. The Indian part of the Sunderbans covers 9630 sq. kms., of which 1692 sq. km form the core of Project Tiger (2550 sq. km), free from human habitation, and has been declared as a National Park. This area has been designated as a "World Heritage Site" by UNESCO. The unique mangrove eco system (containing 64 mangrove species) holds the largest number of wild tigers in one site. The intensive protection and improved management practices have qualitatively improved the eco system. To get there, there are several ways. The Sunderban Tiger Reserve can be approached from Calcutta by rail (Canning — 60 km.), by road (Sonakhala and Dhamakhali — 90 km). Public transport is available to these spots from Calcutta. The exciting journey to the Sunderbans tigerland by waterway starts from the above embarkation points. The timings of the high tide and low tide decide the period of journey and return to Calcutta, if one embarks from Canning. From Sonakhalli, Basant and Dhamakhali one can start the journey at one’s own desire with personal transport. The time has to be coordinated with the Bengal State Toursim launches from these spots on to the waterway. The best time for visiting this area is from November to February.

We drove from Calcutta to Basanti, going through the interiors of rural Bengal. Thatched houses lined with palm wick could be seen everywhere. In the backdrop, essentially, are the ubiquitous palm trees swaying. The lifestyle depicts a life entirely dependent upon the moods of nature — its fury in floods wrecking everything, its phases of serenity, when the waters are placid for the people to pursue a quiet routine of fishing and farming.

When we reached Dhamakhali, there was a launch (luckily from the Project Tiger) awaiting to take us. The adventure spirit soared, and as the boatman loosened the anchor, we were afloat on the high sea. We were first heading towards the Sajnekhalli complex, about 4 hours away by waterway.

Being afloat on this immense waterway, delinked from the mainland, with the blue skies above and sun beams shimmering onto the waters below, gave a wonderful sense of release straight into the lap of nature. For sometime there were no telephones to answer, no depressing news items, to keep track of, no competitive deadlines to meet and no timings to be adhered to the sun was pleasantly warm, now and then a nippy breeze would intervene. As we glided along I could see on either side vignettes of the villages of fisherfolk.

As I looked at the villages, their hutments, fringed with layers of palm trees. I tried to visualise their lives. They were dependent on the seas, for their livelihood. Every morning they must be sailing out and casting their nets for the acquatic treasure to make their day. I wonder what they must be doing on days the sea was angry?Almost every home had a boat decked. This was their lifeline. This area was situated in the extreme, South of West Bengal, adjourning the Bay of Bengal in the 24 Parganas. We were shortly to arrive at the Sunderbans forest. This is the only mangrove tiger land of India. The total area of this forest is 4264 sq. km, of which the Tiger Project covers an area of 2585 sq. km situated between Matla river in the west and Harinbhanga river bordering Bangladesh in the east.

As the day went on, after a sumptuous Bengali meal of Jhol (with fresh river fish), rice and Mishti Dohi (sweet curd), we could see the density of the forest intensifying as we went closer to the tiger sanctuary area. While sailing, now and then, one could spot tourist launches with scores of holiday revellers. The government is giving priority to conserving the tiger. Even the Prime Minister’s New Year card displays a tiger. Seeing these families on a holiday jaunt to this area was a good sign, that people are exposing their children to the beauties of natural environment and bringing them closer to wildlife and hopefully creating an awareness among them to preserve the natural habitat for these animals.

At the beginning of this century, the tiger population in India was about 40,000. In 1972, a dismal decline in figures of the tiger population was noticed after a tiger survey was carried out. Only 1827 tigers were surviving. It was felt, that, due to hunting pressures from urban and rural sections coupled with the ruthless destruction of the habitat, the tiger population had divinded. With the shrinkage of the habitat and depletion of wilderness, there was reduction of prey base. The Indian Board for Wildlife set up a task force in 1973 with the aim to stop human abuse of tiger land. The tiger project of Sunderbans includes a "core" area, kept free from all human use, and a "buffer" area in which conservation-oriented exploitation of resource is allowed. In the Sunderbans area, there are field laboratories designated for tiger research studies. Some outstanding examples of these efforts include, straying behaviour of tigers in the Sunderbans, effects of salinity on tiger ecology and discovery of over 50 new species of endemic beetles, butterflies and spiders.

As the evening approached, we reached the Sajnekhali complex, where there is a tourist bungalow. The tourist bungalow in quite idyllic in its location. Built on stills, there is a well designed nature interpretation centre neaby. Here one saw an estuarine crocodile. In fact, the skeleton of the largest specimen in the world has been kept in the museum. The estuarine crocodile is an important component of the mangrove eco system. Here we were at last, into the true abode of the tiger. We climbed up the tower to get a panoramicview of its’ habitat. The nineties had witnessed an unprecedented escalation in illegal trade in wildlife, particularly tiger bones as a ‘macho’ supplement, which added a new dimension to the threats facing the tiger. Around the sanctuary are cameras constantly photographing to keep track of the number of tigers. Their footprints are also reviewed. A formal census of tiger population in Project Tiger reserves is undertaken every two years as per guidelines of the Central Government. The veterinary care of tigers is also perfect. Stray tigers are captured in trap cages or tranquillised and released back into Wildlife after care and examination. This is done, interestingly, by tranquillising them with darting. A very well preserved area, the success of Project Tiger signalled that no species, can be conserved in isolation without the cooperation of the people. The concept of Joint Forest Management has now been extended to Joint Protected Area Management. Eco development communities have been formed. Active involvement of the people by filtering awareness makes conservation measures more effective. The residents of the Sunderbans now perceive tiger-protection efforts as serving their own interests.

As sunset fell, we were disappointed, as we had not spotted a tiger. However, it was satisfying to see the systematic efforts at conserving this royal beast. This feline has been integral to the life and legend of Bengal. It is feared as well as revered. It is a part of folklore and stories of heroism. Bengal’s reigning deity, Durga, traditionally rides one of the two great cats, the lion or the tiger.British game hunters added the ‘Royal Bengal Tiger’ label and called it the king of the forest. We hopped back on to the launch and began to sail back to the tourist bungalow. It was an experienced of sorts. Above was a beautiful clear, star-spangled sky, and below was a huge expanse of water, shimmering with moonlight ripples. Now and then, one could cross a launch en route to a destination for the night.

The next day, we rose early to visit another wildlife sanctuary, Jaldapara. There are many sanctuaries like Buxa Tiger Reserve, Mahananda and Neora Valley National Park. But one needs time, as sailing from one spot to the other is a matter of hours, and the journey can be undertaken only during the day.

The managements of such reserves require superior scientific inputs to meet the conflicting demands of two mega species within the confines of relatively smaller sanctuaries. From various accounts, the rhino and tiger populations in Jaldapara have shown upward trends.